Help, where are we most likely to see bears mid-June?

[Lobbylin]

Our ports are: Skagway/Icy Straight Point/Ketchikan/Juneau and Sitka.

 

I've seen nature walks offered at Icy Straight Point, float plane trips to Admiralty Island all mentioning bears, but will we really stand any chance of seeing any? Where will give us the best opportunity?

 

I know June is early in the season for bears ....

Thanks for your help!

[melbcruise]

Sorry to say it, but June is too early to see bears. You might get lucky in any spot of course. But, if you really want to see bears you should plan more for the end of July and August. That's when the salmon are spawning and the bears are gorging themselves at the rivers. We were there in june last year and didn't see one bear.

[ute_fan]

We didn't see bears last year in June either :( . That was my daughter's main request, and one that turned out to be impossible to deliver.

 

However, we did rent a car in Skagway and drove to Emerald Lake. From what I hear, sightings along the road are fairly common, even in June. The lady at the Avis counter told us that a mother and cub had been seen the day before by several of their renters, and even told us the mileage posts they were seen between. Unfortunately, my daughter seems to have built in bear repellent --- they must sense her coming and run the other direction! We don't even see them in Yellowstone when she's along.

[Lobbylin]

Thanks for the honest replies, I guess I kind of knew the answer when I posted the question.... but I can live in hope....

 

I have already booked a rental car to do the drive in Skagway to Emerald lake, so I guess I'd be better not wasting any money on other wishful hopes and keep my fingers crossed that something "pops up" on the way to Emerald Lake.

 

On a different story, we were driving through Shenandoah National Park last September and a bear just ran out across the road in front of us, out of nowhere , what a marvellous sight that just makes me want to see more!

[ute_fan]

The last time we saw a bear, my daughter was 2 and doesn't remember it at all (we're fairly close to Yellowstone, and used to go there about every other year). She is now almost 19, and desperately wants to see a "wild bear" not one in a zoo. I guess one of these years we're going to have to go back to Alaska in the July-August time frame and take one of the bear watching trips. Unfortunately, that is my very busiest time at work. Good luck with the bear sightings!

 

We did have a couple that was on a jeep tour in Wrangell with my husband and daughter say that they had seen about 3 bears (this was the 2nd week in June). Their best view was at Taku Lodge after taking a glacier flightseeing tour -- it came up and took the salmon right off the BBQ grill, and the employees were trying to prod it away with VERY LONG sticks. She did send us pictures, but it wasn't the same as seeing it in person. One of the others they spotted along the inside passage somewhere off the balcony on the ship, and the third one they spotted from the plane on the glacier/Taku Lodge excursion.

[Lobbylin]

I have read about that floatplane trip to Taku Lodge and their "resident" bear that comes to forridge for food after the BBQ's... maybe that's the trip I need to book!

 

It's an expensive excursion ...but a LOT cheaper than a return flight from England to come back to Alaska in bear season!!!!

[Mike2131]

I have read about that floatplane trip to Taku Lodge and their "resident" bear that comes to forridge for food after the BBQ's... maybe that's the trip I need to book!

 

It's an expensive excursion ...but a LOT cheaper than a return flight from England to come back to Alaska in bear season!!!!

 

Hi!

 

We took this excursion in mid-to-late May and it was a fantastic tour. Magnificent flightseeing enroute and a wonderful salmon bake. We did not see the resident "grill patrol" (too early), but I did see a bear in a river on the flight back to Juneau. It was a thrill - and a first - for me.

 

Good luck, have a great cruise, and I hope you enjoy Alaska as much as we do - simply awe-inspiring!

[Budget Queen]

http://www.wildlife.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=viewing.packcreek http://www.alaskabyair.com/packcreek.html

[Lobbylin]

I knew you'd come up with the goods, or tell me honestly that I was wasting my time.

 

Pack creek certainly does look fantastic, but I have to admit that the $495pp price tag means that my excursion budget would be well and truly blown, so I'll sadly have to give this one a miss....

 

Thanks Linda :)

[JohnQ]

i recall reading in earlier threads that in the early spring, many bears come down to the waters edge to eat some kind of grass. I read this about Juneau and Sitka wildlife quests but have never take either. Juneau-ite if he is still reading the boards can answer the question as can Yukon. We have spent weeks in Yellowstone and Glacier and Waterton Glacier looking for grizzlies and always having people say they saw one an hour ago or yesterday or just where we had come from. So a lot of it is being in the right place at right time. I haven't heard about too many of the fly in trips to bear areas that don't produce good sightings. Not many on here have complained about that. Denali is your only other good bet but doesn't sound workable on your current intinerary.